The
city of Kaifeng is on
the East Henan Plain
south of the Yellow
River. During the Spring
and Autumn Period, the
place became the fief of
Duke Zhuang (757-701
B.C.) of the State of
Zheng, who starred to
build a city and named
it Kaifent, meaning
“opening up new
territory.” It was also
called Bianliang after
the Warring States
Period (475-221 B.C.).

Kaifeng served as
capital for seven
feudalist dynasties in
Chinese history. As one
of the “six great
capitals” of China,
together with Beijing,
Xi’an, Nanjing, Luoyang,
and Hangzhou, it used to
be a very prosperous
city, especially during
the Northern Song
Dynasty (A.D. 960-1127).
The grandeur and
prosperity of Kaifeng is
vividly presented in a
classical painting,
“River Scene at Qingming
Festival,” by the
well-known artist Zhang
Zeduan of the Northern
Song Dynasty.
However, the former
splendour of Kaifeng was
gradually diminished by
wars and Yellow River
floods. Today, many
cultural relics and
ruins remain, and part
of the city is being
reconstructed to
resemble old Kaifeng as
it looked like in the
Song Dynasty. When the
work is finished, the
historic old city will
become an important stop
on the tourist’s
itinerary.

As an old cultural
center, Kaifeng is well
known for its silk
products and embroidery.